3 Ideas to Improve Patient Satisfaction

In addition to standard calming techniques, more facilities are using music and aromatherapy to help ease patients' pre-op anxiety. In fact, a recent study showed patients who listened to music through headphones minutes before receiving a peripheral nerve block experienced similar decreases in anxiety levels as patients who were administered 1mg to 2mg of midazolam before the block was placed (osmag.net/8XCAyt).

"The study is proof that there are drug-free alternatives to help calm a patient before certain procedures," says study co-author Veena Graff, MD, an assistant professor or anesthesia and critical care medicine at Penn Medicine in Philadelphia, Pa. "Based on our findings, we now provide our ambulatory surgical center patients who want to listen to music with access to disposable headphones. Ultimately, our goal is to offer music as an alternative to help patients relax during their perioperative period.

Although previous studies have shown music's calming effect on patients before surgery have compared music to oral sedatives, which aren't often used in pre-operative settings, the Penn Medicine study was the first to compare music with an IV form of a sedative medication.

In general, says Dr. Graff, music lightens up the emotional ?and pleasure centers in brains. It also sends out projections to the hypothalamus, where it affects heart rate, blood pressure and breathing. This explains why some songs trigger a variety of emotions — good feelings, bad feelings, nostalgia, happiness, sadness. "A greater understanding of what music does to our bodies can help relax patients in the moments before they undergo a bedside procedure such as nerve bock or before they're wheeled back for the surgery," she says.

Dr. Graff believes the benefits of music are underutilized in healthcare settings, especially now that patients have near limitless access to catalogues of songs on media players and smartphones. She encourages you to offer disposable headphones to patients in pre-op and invest in media players or music apps on media devices, so patients can listen to music in the stressful time before surgery (see Help Patients Tune in to Tune Out").

A website geared for patients who are scheduled for surgery is about to launch at Baptist Hospital in Miami, Fla. The site will include written explanations, downloadable PDFs, photos, diagrams and eventually videos on everything from where to park to specific pre-op bathing instructions.

Topics covered on the site will include what items patients should bring on the day of surgery, information about how they can help prevent surgical site infections, the basics of pre- and post-op care, a list of hospital phone numbers they'll need, answers to frequently asked questions and presentations on what their overall experience is going to look, feel and sound like.

"Some patients are thirsty for as much information as possible and this site is designed with them in mind," says Rachel Evers, MSN, RN, CNOR, the hospital's director of surgical services. "The information is there so they can access it on their own time before surgery. We'll provide the information in a variety of ways so we're sure it will be there in the form a patient prefers to receive it."

The ASC at Westmed Medical Group, a multi-specialty practice in New York and Connecticut, has an online portal and a mobile app, which patients use to receive pre-op and post-op instructions. The technology helps patients become more actively involved in their own care by doing such things as sending messages to their providers, managing their prescriptions and accessing lab results.

Surgeons like the communication app, too. If they want to change a patient's medication, they can make the change, contact the pharmacy and inform the patient — all without having to make a phone call. Westmed Medical has a roadmap in place to implement more patient engagement software in the future, such as apps that will let a staff member in the operating room text a patient's loved ones with updates during surgery. "Expanding our reach gives patients options on how to get the care they need and take control of their own health care," says Lisa Sershen, chief digital officer at Westmed Medical. "But while these digital tools allow us to text and chat with patients and loved ones, we'll never step away from the human touch."

At Bon Secours Surgery Center, though, half of the patients are older and getting cataract procedures, so it's worth having a nurse to make follow-up phone calls. It's during those phone calls that patients let staff know that they're feeling great, that their pain is under control and they're not nauseous. Patients also sometimes share their frustrations with how long they had to wait before their procedures started. "When that happens, we can explain the process and how their situation led to a wait that was longer than needed," says Mr. Guzik. "A patient who understands what happened and has the chance to talk with someone about it is likely to be less critical on a satisfaction survey." OSM